19th of April Movement

Colombian guerrilla

The 19th of April Movement (Spanish: Movimiento 19 de Abril), or M-19, was a Colombian guerrilla movement. After the guerrilla movement broke apart, it became a political party, the M-19 Democratic Alliance (Alianza Democrática M-19), or AD/M-19.

The group was created after the possibly rigged presidential elections of 19 April 1970.[1]

The group's ideas were seen as nationalism, but its main goal was to open up democracy in Colombia.[2] In the 1980s, the group had about 1,500 and 2,000 members, making it the second largest guerrilla group in Colombia after the FARC.

Today, the group is no longer active however senior members later became politicians and members of Humane Colombia.[3] President-elect Gustavo Petro was a member of this group.

References

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  1. "Colombia: The 19th of April Movement". Country Studies Series. Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. December 1988. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  2. Leonard, Thomas; Buchenau, Jurgen; Longley, Kyle; Mount, Graeme (31 January 2012). Encyclopedia of U.S. – Latin American Relations. CQ Press. p. 573. ISBN 9781608717927.
  3. Palau, Mariana (10 January 2022). "Is Gustavo Petro Leaving Behind Colombian Progressives?". Americas Quarterly. Retrieved 2022-05-27.